This invention relates to video display systems and, more particularly, to an improved display terminal for copy origination and editing.
Whereas the invention will be described herein with reference to a video display system capable for use in electronic newsroom operations, it is to be understood that the invention has other applications wherein it is desirable to provide a means for data entry and editing thereof.
At this stage in the state of the art, video display systems are available to provide "electronic" newsrooms. Some of these systems employ host computers having large storage banks for on line operation with a plurality of intelligent video display terminals. These terminals may be employed by writers who originate stories by entering text through the terminal's keyboard. The text is also displayed on the screen and may be edited by the writer-operator. Once the author is satisfied with the story, it is sent to the host computer for storage along with stories entered by other writers. Other terminals are employed by editors. An editor may call up a story from the host computer for display. The called up story may have been entered into the host computer from a similar terminal or from such other sources as an optical reader or a wire line or from punch-tape and the like. The editor may scroll through the story and make changes as desired through the use of control keys on the terminals' keyboard. After the editor has completed his function, the edited story may then be stored in another location in the host computer for subsequent use. The subsequent use, for example, may be data outputted to a phototypesetter which may be used for constructing a printing plate to turn out newspaper copy.
An editor using such a terminal as discussed above has several stories available to him from the storage bank at the host computer. For example, a sports editor may be interested in reviewing different wire stories regarding the same event. In deciding which story to be edited for use in his newspaper, the editor might call up one story and review it from observing his display screen. Thereafter, the second story would be reviewed and then the editor would decide which story he would like to edit. A more desirable editing mode of operation would be for the editor to have the facilities at his display terminal to simultaneously display the two stories on different areas of a common display screen. This then would provide a dual screen or dual column mode of operation. It would further be desirable in such a dual screen mode of operation that the editor have the facilities at the terminal to scroll or otherwise edit one of the stories without acting upon the other story. In this way then the editor could use one of the stories as a base and then modify it in accordance with what he likes about the other story or the editor might modify both stories.